Happy New Year and Hello 2012!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year! We spent Christmas in Louisiana with my family



Loved every minute of it!


We flew back to Washington in time to see in the New Year - quietly! I seem to have caught a cold back home in the *warm* south so didn't really feel like going all out for a big New Years day meal. But I still had to get in the required New Years day staples - black eyed peas and greens for luck and money! So I decided to just dump it all in a pot and see what happened. The result was pretty tasty and worthy of a repeat so I thought I would write it out and share.



New Years Day Black Eyed Pea "Gumbo"

2 Tablespoons bacon grease (or vegetable oil)
2 heaping Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 large onion, diced
1 small bell pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped small
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch greens (I used Kale, but any would do)
2 cans black eyed peas
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles (Rotel)
Smoked Sausage or smoky ham or smoky bacon (smoke is the theme - for flavor). Whatever you have on hand. I used 3 links of good smoked Louisiana sausage that I have in my freezer courtesy of my parents.
3 cups chicken broth
Spices/seasoning to taste - I used Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning & garlic salt.
2/3 cup uncooked rice

Heat grease or oil in a skillet until hot. Add flour and stir continuously (heat medium-high) until you have a roux that is light reddish brown - you could go darker, but I didn't want to have a strong roux taste. Add onions, bell peppers, celery & garlic and cook down until vegetables are tender. Add greens, peas, tomatoes, sausage, broth and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Add rice. Cook until rice is tender (about 30 minutes). Serve with cornbread.


Wishing you a very prosperous, healthy and happy 2012! Thanks for taking the time this past year to check out my blog and what I have going on. Your comments have been much appreciated!

Joining in for Mosaic Monday this week over at Little Red House